Saturday, December 27, 2014

This will be my last post for 2014 and I wanted to go out with a BANG. I finished a set of the CAV models that I recently received. I am undecided if I want to put any static grass on the bases or just leave them the way they are.

Lets talk about the bones material and what I learned painting these. I will admit I was not a fan of this material when I first starting painting them. You really can't file or sand the mold lines and need to use a hobby knife to remove them.

I also had some issues with the primer and paint that I used on the first three models. I used Tamiya primer and Testors (Spray paint base coat) and the two products did not work on these models. It stayed tacky until I dry brushed, washed and clear coated the models. I have used those two products on other models with no issues but it did not work on the bones material. So I switched to Board to Pieces primer and brush painted (Vallejo) on the base color and had no issues.

I ended up having to drill the barrels out to insert a pin to keep them straight. I tried the hot/cold water trick but they did not stay and started to bend again. Drilling out the barrels is not easy and you have to go very slow. The more you drill it heats up the material and it gets soft. So I would have to drill for a short period of time and stop. It took some time but was worth it to make sure they stay straight.

I did convert one of the models because I didn't like the pose. I just cut the right leg off and repositioned it forwards. It was easy to do and this material cuts easily.

On this model the antenna had to be cut off and replaced with plastic. The paint would not hold and it kept bending back to its original position. I just took a piece of square plastic stock, heated it up and used a small hammer to flatten it out.

On this model I had to cut the gun barrel in section so I could drill it out, it is long and I didn't have a drill bit long enough.

The rest of the models we rather straight forward.

My final thoughts about these models, it is all about the cost and Reaper made the right move. These are big models and the cost of the material for metal models is going up and they needed to make a change. I have some of the metal models and I would rather work with the bones material over metal any day. I had to learn how to work with the material but now that I know what needs to be done I can't wait to get the rest of my models in 2015.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

This is my last model for Arena Rex. Now it is time to learn how to play the game and get these models on the table. They were fun to paint however I am concerned about this model. She is glued to the base just by the tip of her one foot. This resin is brittle and I hope she does not break off the base. The pose is really dramatic but not sure it it is practical for gaming.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Today I received my first wave of the CAV Kickstarter. When I first saw the box I was surprised, it was so small then I opened it and they packed this box full of Big Stompy Robots.

I could not wait and had to put some of them together. They do have multiple parts but they are simple to assemble and can be posed slightly.

The models have some great detail and I have not noticed a lot of mold lines. I should be able to just prime and paint and that will take place real soon. I do have a few concerns. The bases are all one size, just over one inch and will not work for the larger models.

My buddy Dave how owns Crusaders Retreat has a laser cutter and he recently made me some 2 inch hexs just for these models. Not sure why Reaper did not make the larger models on a hex base or provide one for the larger models.

Also, this is a soft plastic so some of the gun barrels are bent. It is not a big deal and can be correct by running it under hot water. It will just be an added step and is just something everyone is going to need to do.

Lastly, this guy came with two left arms. So I will be checking out all my models for similar mistakes and sending Reaper an email. So far this is the only one with duplicate arms and hope it stays the only one with this mistake.

I am very excited about this project and can't wait to get them painted.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

One more down and one more to finish this lot of Gladiators. Nothing exciting about this model, simply painted it and called it finished. I really like the way the shield turned out and how it looks on this model. I should finish the last model this week and get this game on the table.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Another model finished and can't wait to finish the last two. This model was not hard to paint but did require some work. The spear shaft was resin and too brittle. So I replaced it with a brass rod, not a big deal but I would recommend it to other players.

Still have not played the game been busy with other things in my life. I hope to finish my last two models and then get a few games in.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Another Arena Rex model finished. I should have all of them done by the end of the month and can start playing. I had some issues with his sword, it was bent. I attempted to fix it with hot water but it didn't work. I ended up using a lighter to heat up the sword and straighten it out, all good now.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

On Friday I was at the game shop and I saw this on the New Release Shelf

This took me back to my childhood and a lot of great memories playing this game with friends. This is one of the games that took me down the road of gaming. I had the first edition of this game and we would spend hours designing vehicles and smashing it out on the tabletop. This was a instant buy for me and when I opened it up it was the same game. The counters are better, they are a hard cardboard and already punched out. They are not the card stock sheets that we had to cut out. This is the original version of the game and it just a reprint. The thing is this game really never went away, it was just converted to a PDF download from the SJ website. Put to pick it up at my local game shop was just a great moment and was worth every penny.

On the SJ website they are talking about doing a KS for a 6th edition of the game. This will be interesting and can't want to see what they do. For now I will have this version of the game and will be smashing up more cars in the future.

I finished another Arena Rex model. This is Aquila and was fun to paint. I went with a lot of Browns and just a splash of Red. I even kept the metals dull and not too shinny. I am happy with the way it turned out and can't wait to get this game on the table. I should have all my models painted by the end of the month (November).

Thursday, October 30, 2014

I finished my first Arena Rex model and wants to share some pictures. I picked this model because the helmet was damaged. The resin is brittle and the helmet came off during shipping. Nothing some Green Stuff could not fix.

After cleaning up the flashing and mold lines it was time to work on the base. I decided to use a fine sand so that it would look more like an arena.

Here are two pictures at the half way point of painting the model.

Now the finished product

I am very happy with the way this model turned out. These models have great detail and this was a joy to paint. Now I need to get one more painted so I can get this game on the table and play a few rounds.